Description: Poland shares borders to the east with the Russian Federation,
Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, to
the south with the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic and to the
west with Germany. To the north lies the Baltic Sea. The Baltic coast
provides over 500km (300 miles) of sandy beaches, bays, steep cliffs
and dunes.
Northern Poland is dominated by lakes, islands and wooded hills joined
by many rivers and canals. The Malsurian Lake District to the
northeast is a patchwork of lakes and forests with Lake Hancza, the
deepest lake in Poland, located here. The River Vistula (Wisla) has
cut a wide valley from Gdansk on the Baltic coast to Warsaw in the
heart of the country.
The rest of the country rises slowly to the Sudety Mountains, which
run along the border with the Czech Republic, and the Tatra mountains,
which separate Poland from the Slovak Republic. To the west, the River
Oder, with Szczecin at its mouth, forms the northwest border with
Germany.

language: Polish is the official language. There are a few small
German-speaking communities primarily in the southwest. English and
Russian are also spoken.

Climate: Temperate with warm summers, crisp, sunny autumns and cold
winters. Snow covers the mountainous area in the south of Poland (mid
December to April). Rain falls throughout the year. The most pleasant
times to visit Poland are May-June and September, when it's still warm
but unlikely to be too hot

Economy - overview:Following the chaos of the ��?big bang' strategy of rapid
post-communist transition to a market economy, Poland's economy slowly
strengthened during the 1990s. By 2000, the private sector accounted
for 70% of GDP and the economy was looking in good shape, though it
lacked behind many of its former communist neighbours.

Poland became a full member of the European Union on 1 May 2004 and
plans to adopt the Euro in 2012. However, despite steadily declining
unemployment since 2004 when it stood at 20% (in 2008 it was down to
9.7%), the economy has looked far more vulnerable since the global
financial crisis of 2008 took hold. Another possible factor for the
decline in unemployment has arguably been attributed the numbers of
Poles leaving to find work in other countries. Since 2009 many Polish
workers have been returning to the country as temporary jobs in
Western Europe dry up, meaning that the potential for future rises in
unemployment is growing month on month.

In 2008, growth was at 4.8% whilst inflation was at 4.3%.

Economy:
Following the chaos of the ��?big bang' strategy of rapid
post-communist transition to a market economy, Poland's economy slowly
strengthened during the 1990s. By 2000, the private sector accounted
for 70% of GDP and the economy was looking in good shape, though it
lacked behind many of its former communist neighbours.

Poland became a full member of the European Union on 1 May 2004 and
plans to adopt the Euro in 2012. However, despite steadily declining
unemployment since 2004 when it stood at 20% (in 2008 it was down to
9.7%), the economy has looked far more vulnerable since the global
financial crisis of 2008 took hold. Another possible factor for the
decline in unemployment has arguably been attributed the numbers of
Poles leaving to find work in other countries. Since 2009 many Polish
workers have been returning to the country as temporary jobs in
Western Europe dry up, meaning that the potential for future rises in
unemployment is growing month on month.